Energy shortages

[bigpaul]

(5 March 2013, 19:58)Wolfiesmith Wrote: For the elderly it could mean the difference between life and death in a cold snap. I remember the power cuts of the 70's and it wasn't great, though perfectly survivable. If there are power outages in large towns and cities I think we can expect looting for sure.

not just the elderly! this could affect ANYONE without alternative(non electric) heating and cooking.dont forget what kills the elderly can also kill young children too.

[I-K-E]

we've got alternate cooking sorted using a camping stove and a 6kg propane cylinder ...... will be getting another cylinder once funds allow

heating is and issue but in a cold snap we'd have to layer up and get into sleeping bags. We've talked about getting a multifuel stove at some point but apart from the cost of getting one fitted storing the fuel for a stove could be a problem .... joys of living in a small terrace with a postage stamp sized back yard

[NorthernRaider]

For the sheeple of today a power cut would be far more disruptive than it was in the 1970s because back then central heating was ignited by an electrocmechanical pilot light / thermocouple and piezo ignitor, so back then if the leccy went off the CH would still work.

But todays CH boilers are all electronically ignited and regulated so if the leccy goes off the gas CH does as well.

Also in the 1970s millions of homes still had open chimneys and coal fires, in the UK of 2013 less than half of one percent still have open fires or easy access to coal.
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IKE We keep three 7 KG blue bottles to power a camp cooker but we also keep 2 meters of spare rubber gas pipe, 2 spare hose clips and one complete spare clip on regulator plus a kitch size boz of matches as a backup cooker.

Even many rural folks with oil or gas CH will still be buggered because their CH boilers are also very often electronically ignited and regulated.

Also far more people today keep the majority of their food in freezers rather than in tins in a cupboard so the amount of food spoil will be much greater.

[I-K-E]

thanks NR

not got spare hose yet but we've also got regulators for both propane and butane so we can use either

[NorthernRaider]

I keep extra hose cos a gas engneer told me that LPG gases like prop / but etc dry out and crack the rubber gas pipe in time, So I keep two meters stored in a sealed black bag out of the sunlight.

[preservefreak]

how long can you store tanks of propane/butane for? presumably at some point either the tank or the gas starts to break down

[bigpaul]

i would have thought you were ok unless the tank rusts through??

[NorthernRaider]

(6 March 2013, 16:32)preservefreak Wrote: how long can you store tanks of propane/butane for? presumably at some point either the tank or the gas starts to break down

The industrial ones I believe are made of stainless steel and the portable blue / orange ones like Calors range are made of mild steel coated on the inside and painted on the outside, I believe if looked after they can last for over a decade.

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Just checked a couple of mine, they are marked as bought new by me in 1994 and they appear as good as new. I mut admit the smaller aerosol type gas canisters used by cassette type mini cookers prolly only last a few years.

[Ghost]

I was talking to someone about this yesterday and they mentioned the connection between power cuts and baby booms.
I guess all those sheeple with no TV do what people do and procreate instead !

[Highlander]

I see that in the U.S. most of the wood burning stoves are being banned,... that will upset a lot of peoples cooking/ heating plans

http://www.survivalistdaily.com/epa-to-o...ng-stoves/

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(7 March 2013, 09:05)Highlander Wrote: I see that in the U.S. most of the wood burning stoves are being banned,... that will upset a lot of peoples cooking/ heating plans

http://www.survivalistdaily.com/epa-to-o...ng-stoves/

Better link..>> http://offgridsurvival.com/epa-woodburni...s-illegal/